This invention relates to overhead sectional folding doors and, more particularly, to door panels and their articulating connections for use in overhead folding garage doors and the like.
An overhead sectional folding door typically found, for example, in garage doors comprises a plurality of panels or sections which are hinged together to articulate about horizontal axis so that the door can be moved through the articulation of the panels as guided by suitable rollers engaging in trackways on opposite sides of the door frame from a closed vertical orientation with the panels vertically aligned to a raised generally horizontal orientation with the panels generally horizontally aligned.
Such panels may be made, for example, of wood, metal, which may simply be a metal skin on a support frame, or plastic.
Many of these doors are relatively expensive and are subject to weathering as, for example, with wood and metal doors. Also many of the doors are subject to damage even under modest impact.
Furthermore, many of the prior art doors are costly to manufacture, have excessive weight, have hinge wear problems, and are dangerous from the standpoint of fingers being caught between the panel edges as they articulate.
As many garages are beneath living quarters of the home or building, it is desirable that the closed garage door provide proper insulation both overall and at the juncture of the meeting hinge panels. At present, such insulation even in the best of overhead doors is not fully effective.
It is therefore the object of this invention to overcome the problems of the prior art and to provide extremely rugged low cost door panels adapted for reliable articulating connection in a folding overhead door.
It is another object to provide door panels formed for articulating connection utilizing readily available low cost conventional hinges.
Again, it is an object to provide panels enabling the assembly of a low cost fully insulated overhead door in which the joint between adjoining panels when the door is closed is perfectly sealed against moisture and airflow ingress or egress.
Again, it is an object to provide articulating connections between door panels which affords complete protection against pinching of fingers.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention.
One aspect of the invention resides in providing extremely rugged low cost door panels formed for accurate articulating connection with adjoining, i.e. upper and lower, panels. In its preferred form, the panels are molded as a single member from composite plastic material. In its preferred form, each of the panels has a front wall and side walls, the front wall having an upper edge portion which is slightly retracted from the front surface of the front wall to provide a shoulder having a depth substantially equal to the thickness of the front wall. From this shoulder, the upper edge is arched upwardly and rearwardly forming an upwardly projecting part circular tongue or tenon adapted to be received in a socket or mortise area of an upper panel. The side walls of the panel extend to a point spaced about the bottom edge of the front wall a distance substantially equal to the height of the tongue or tenon formed by the panel upper edge portion whereby the space behind the bottom of the front wall defines a tongue or tenon accepting space or mortise.
According to a preferred form of the invention, the front wall is reinforced with a reinforcing formation comprising an integral gridwork of intersecting ribs formed on its rear side extending from a point adjacent the panel upper edge to adjacent the lower end of the side walls.
In another aspect of the preferred form of the invention with the part circular tenon of a lower panel received in the mortis of an upper panel immediately thereabove, the panels are articulatedly connected by hinges having the axes of their pintles lying on an axis coinciding with the centre circumscribed by the part circular lower panel tenon whereby on articulation of the upper and lower panels the lower edge of the upper panel follows in close proximity to the surface of the lower panel tenon to prevent fingers from getting pinched between the panel edges.
In another aspect according to a preferred form of the invention, the panels are provided with a rearwardly extending shelf immediately beneath the upper end of its tongue or tenon. This shelf projects rearwardly of the tenon to provide an anvil surface behind the tenon and a compressible bead of insulation material is supported on this anvil surface to be compressed thereagainst by a bottom wall connecting the side walls of the panel immediately thereabove when the panels are articulated into vertical alignment.
Again, in another aspect according to a preferred form of the invention, each of the panels is provided with one retaining slot immediately beneath the anvil surface and another retaining slot immediately above the bottom wall connecting its side walls. These slots are provided for the insertion of stiffening members or insulation retaining brackets.
In still another aspect according to a preferred form of the invention, the front wall of each of the panels is provided at its rear with fastener holding pods to receive fasteners for securing the straps of hinges to the panels, the pods being positioned to locate the pintles of the hinges as discussed above.
Again, according to still another preferred aspect of the invention, reinforcing metal straps are mounted between the hinge straps and the fastener receiving pods.
Again according to another preferred aspect of the invention, the edges of the panels are reinforced by metal channels which block finger entry into the ends of the hinged connections.